Straw in bottle

ABSTRACT

A capped bottle is provided with a straw inside the bottle so that after the bottle is uncapped the straw is readily accessible and can be grasped by the user and pulled out of the bottle and into an operative position.

United States Patent 11 1 n 11 3,746,197

Sather I 1 July 17, 1973 [54] STRAW IN BOTTLE 2,748,968 6/]956 Altlcr.. 215 1 A 76] Inventor: Kenneth E. Sather, 101 Grand 2,844,267 7/]958 Pclrlccionc 2l5/I A Avenue, Apt. 21, Capitola, Calif. FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,022,157 3/1953 France 2l5/l A [22] July 1971 858,40] l/196l Great Britain v. 21511 A 21 Appi. No.2 164,536

Primary Examiner-Gc0rge E. Lowrance Assistant Examiner-Stephen Marcus gi gi gg fi Attorney-Carl HOPDe. Robert (1. Slick 01 ill. 58 F Id fS h 215 l A" 220 90.2; I l 0 em 1 22/9 S 57 ABSTRACT A capped bottle is provided with a straw inside the hot- [56] Refer Cit d tle so that after the bottle is uncapped the straw is UNITED STATES PATENTS readily accessible and can be grasped by the user and 3 303 984 2,1967 Jurena S pulled out of the bottle and into an operative position. 214321132 12 1947 Allen 215 1 A 1 Claim, 4 Drawing Figures Patented July 17, 1973 INVENTOR.

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KENNETH E. SATHEK FIE-Q1- STRAW IN BOTTLE SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Structures have been proposed in the past wherein a straw is provided within a bottle or other container for soft drinks and the like. These have never been successful for commercial use due to a number of deficiencies. In some of the structures it is difficult to grasp the straw and bring it into an operative position. In some others, the straw tends to float up so that it interferes with the normal bottling operation and must be held down while the cap is put in place. In other structures, the straw is relatively short, making it inconvenient to use and sometimes making it impossible to remove the entire contents from the container.

In accordance with the present invention all these difficulties of the prior art are obviated by providing a straw in the bottle wherein the straw has a corrugated section so that the straw can be bent back on itself. The length of the straw is selected so that the top loop extends slightly above the upper rim of the bottle and can be easily grasped by the user. Since the bend is made at the corrugated section, there is a certain spring action to the straw which tends to retain it in the bottle. Thus, the straw can be inserted in the bottle before, or preferably, after the bottle is filled and the straw will stay in place due to the spring action so that there is no interference with the normal capping operation and no necessity to provide a special structure to hold the straw in place prior to and while it is being capped. The structure employs a domed cap which can be easily fabricated on the usual cap making machinery with only a minor modification.

Various other features and advantages of the invention will be brought out in detail in the description which follows:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a bottle, straw and cap embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a section of a filled bottle embodying the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a partial view of a bottle top after the cap has been removed showing the manner in which the straw can be grasped and straightened out for use.

FIG. 4 is a view, similar to FIG. 3 showing the straw ready for use.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawings by reference characters there is shown a bottle 5 of the usual design having a neck portion 7 and terminating in an outtumed rim 9 so that it can be capped by the familiar crown cap. A straw generally designated II is provided having a relatively long, smooth shaft 13, a corrugated section and a second but relatively short, smooth section 17. Such straws having a corrugated section are well known, particularly for invalid use. A cap generally designated 19 is provided having the usual crimping In use, the straw l l is folded over as is shown in FIG.

l and inserted into the bottle into the position shown in FIG. 2. There is a certain springiness to such straws and this springiness tends to retain the straw in the bottle so that it will not float up even when there is liquid in the bottle. However, the corrugated section 15 extends upwardly beyond the rim 9 as can best be seen in FIG. 2. The cap 19 is now placed on the bottle in the usual manner. The dome 23 accommodates the upwardly extending portion 15 of the straw. When the cap is removed, a sufficient amount of the straw extends above the rim of the bottle so that it is easy to grasp the straw as is shown in FIG. 3. The straw is first pulled partly out of the bottle and the section 17 swung upwardly to the position shown in FIG. 4 and the straw can then be pushed back into the bottle so that the bottom of the straw substantially rests on the bottom of the bottle.

Sufiicient height is provided so that there is no inconvenience in drinking and it is obvious that the straw extends completely to the bottom of the bottle so nothing is wasted. It is also obvious that the springiness holds the straw in the bottle during the usual capping operation and that a sufi'lcient gripping surface is provided so it is easy to remove the straw from the bottle.

Although an exact structure has been shown, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that many variations can be made from this precise structure without departing from the spirit of this invention.

I claim:

1. A straw in a bottle comprising in combination:

a. a bottle of the usual configuration having a top portion adapted to receive a crown cap,

b. a straw in said bottle, said straw having one relatively long, straight end and one relatively short, straight end connected by a corrugated midsection,

c. said straw being curved upon itself into a U-shaped con-figuration and being located in said bottle whereby the terminal end of the long, straight end extends to the bottom of the bottle and the U- shaped corrugated section extends above the top rim of said bottle, said corrugated mid-section providing a spring action pressing the straight end sections against the inside of the neck of the bottle whereby said straw is retained in said bottle,

(I. a cap on said bottle, said cap having an upwardly domed center portion, permitting clearance of that portion of the corrugated section of said' straw which extends above the rim,

e. whereby said cap can be removed, exposing said corrugated section and said straw can be lifted by means of said corrugated section sufficiently out of the bottle to clear the short end of the straw from the neck of the bottle.

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1. A straw in a bottle comprising in combination: a. a bottle of the usual configuration having a top portion adapted to receive a crown cap, b. a straw in said bottle, said straw having one relatively long, straight end and one relatively short, straight end connected by a corrugated mid-section, c. said straw being curved upon itself into a U-shaped configuration and being located in said bottle whereby the terminal end of the long, straight end extends to the bottom of the bottle and the U-shaped corrugated section extends above the top rim of said bottle, said corrugated mid-section providing a spring action pressing the straight end sections against the inside of the neck of the bottle whereby said straw is retained in said bottle, d. a cap on said bottle, said cap having an upwardly domed center portion, permitting clearance of that portion of the corrugated section of said straw which extends above the rim, e. whereby said cap can be removed, exposing said corrugated section and said straw can be lifted by means of said corrugated section sufficiently out of the bottle to clear the short end of the straw from the neck of the bottle. 